2. Skrillex, 'Recess'

Though best known for his over-the-top, into-the-gut bass blasts, Skrillex has long played DJ sets that situate original tracks amid classic hip-hop, pan-genre dance records and Toto's "Africa." Recess, his first proper LP, tells that story, filtering the speaker-blowing dubstep through 2 Step and K-Pop or chopping it into compelling, glitchy oddities like "Doompy Poomp" and "Dirty Vibe." The sound might be less focused, but the artist behind it is more zeroed in than ever. N.M.